Helen Jenkins, Great Britain

Photo: Triathlon.org/ Delly Carr

The 2008 short-course world champion, Jenkins will have plenty of motivation to perform well in front of her home crowd come 2012. She’s a true triathlete, meaning she can swim, bike and run with the best of them. In fact, she won her 2008 world title by breaking away with Sarah Haskins of the United States on the bike and then outkicking her to the finish. And she has plenty of experience getting on the podium in big races, placing third at the 2009 ITU Grand Final and third at Hy-Vee in 2008, among others.